Mother Matter Meditation

   

I just found this little meditation written 15 years ago and thought it worth resurrecting...

"All through the physical world runs that unknown content which must surely be the stuff of our consciousness." 
~Sir Arthur Eddington, founder of quantum physics

"Bread which fills the hungry, we utter over you the name of the Mother. Come, hidden Mother, unite with us in this sacrament which we celebrate in your name."
~Gnostic Acts of Thomas

Many spiritual seekers attempt to rise above the body and transcend matter. But matter is "mater," the Great Mother herself, who among early Christian Gnostics was considered to be the Holy Spirit.

In true meditation, we don't need to transcend the body, or rise above matter. We ARE matter. Instead of resisting what we are, we can consciously embrace our weight, our mass, our connection with the ground, and the sacred pull of gravity. Gravity is the grace of the Mother.

Gravity centers us. As it pulls our body toward the center of the earth, it pulls our awareness to the center of every atom, enlivening our whole physiology. Simultaneously, gravity pulls us toward the heart of every star, the black hole at the core of every galaxy. Gravity is the soul of Mother Matter. We become incarnate through the sparkling force of gravity. Our mass is vibrant with spiritual life: holy Mass indeed!

Gravity is only a problem when we RESIST it. But as we surrender to gravity, we fall deeply into Matter and SOFTEN it. Matter becomes downy and ethereal as we allow our consciousness to permeate it, the way water softens a dry sponge. Then we pass all the way THROUGH Matter. We come out, as it were, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MATTER, in the silence of Spirit. This is how we heal any block, and any density, in the body. We permeate the block, the density, with awareness.

Now let us meditate on the divinity of Mother Matter...

Become aware of your body, its weight and mass, right here. Agree to be where you are. Feel the touch of your body on the seat, or on the ground. Become aware of the earth spreading out beneath you, majestically rolling through space, hugging your mass with her gravitational grace.

Now be aware of earth's movement around the sun. Let awareness gently widen to include the stars. You can even feel the force of the galaxy whirling, holding this tiny solar system to its rim. Continue to let awareness expand until you encompass all galaxies, and galaxies of galaxies. They are just tiny sparkling particles that float in the womb of incomprehensible darkness, boundless silence, and peace...

This is the Mother.

A secret gradually reveals itself: these infinitesimal star-pricks of light in the vastness of space are the sub-atomic particles of your own body. The cosmos is the space between your atoms. In the words of the Upanishads, "Ano raniyan mahato mahiyan: Smaller than the smallest, greater than the greatest."

Boundless clarity is the empty essence of a quark or a star. Your body dissolves into emptiness. Feel the silence, become the silence.

Now be aware of your breath. Gradually clothe your breath in atoms again, until you sense your body's form and weight. There is a difference: your body feels more luminous, tingling with the stuff of distant quasars. Of the gently rolling earth beneath you, again be aware.

Come to a sitting position. Now slowly stand. But do so without losing awareness of the energy, the grace of gravity, in and around each atom. Instead of fighting gravity as you rise, delight in it. Bathe in it. It is earth's aura.

Now walk in the vibrant golden dignity of Matter. This is your birthright. You are here to be a sacred body, permeated by Spirit. You are here to dance. With each step, give form to the Goddess, breathe the Spirit. Let stillness move you. This is called, returning to the Great Mother.